§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the research projects he has instigated into the potential health implications resulting from exposure to electromagnetic fields.
§ Mr. Dorrell[holding answer 19 October 1990]: The National Radiological Protection Board is under a statutory duty to inform and advise Government and others on possible hazards to health from ionising and non-ionising radiation. The board has undertaken an extensive review of the possible health consequences of exposure to electromagnetic fields. The review, to be published shortly, will form the basis of a revision of the board's recommendations published in 1989 entitled, "Guidance on Exposure to Time-Varying Electromagnetic Fields" (NRPB-GS11), a copy of which is in the Library.
Projects undertaken by board staff include measurement of occupational and domestic electromagnetic fields and theoretical calculation of energy absorption in people. A programme of work investigating the cancer-related responses of cell cultures to electromagnetic fields is to begin shortly.